The Inner Snake
by MentalAndLovingIt
Summary: She's loud, impossibly level-headed, one of Jane's BFFs, and nearly faints at the sight of a spider.  Could New Orleans and the Mithran council handle her?   Set after Skinwalker, but not in Blood Cross.


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**I don't own the book Skinwalker or Blood Cross. They belong to Faith Hunter. Happy?**

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Leo, Bruiser, and Jane were sitting in her living room when the door blasted open. All three of them were on their feet in an instant—poised to attack. The silhouette of a woman was revealed to them when lightning flashed behind her.

They could all smell the blood pouring from her wounds.

She staggered inside and fell to her knees. Jane's face lit with horror and recognition. "Fiend?"

Leo and Bruiser looked at her—puzzled—but their gazes returned to the blood-soaked figure kneeling on the floor when she snarled a reply. "Fiend take Loni. Hunt under two-spike hunters'-moon. Loni yell—distract Fiend. Fiend hurt. Loni take over Fiend not die. Loni hurt bad–Fiend control."

Leo's POV

Jane's eyes were wide—obviously having understood this inane babble. "Jane?" George asked.

Absently, she answered, "She needs healing, fast. Leave, now." My eyebrows rose, as did George's.

"She needs healing, and you are asking me to leave?" I asked, amused slightly. Finally looking up at me from where she was kneeled on the floor, Jane nodded. "I could heal it faster than anything else."

Shrugging as if to say 'not really, but alright', Jane stood up and stepped back. The wounded girl had stood up when Jane had, and following Jane's gesture—she fell onto the couch, biting back a scream.

My eyes bled out at the proximity of the blood—by the scent, it was actually O negative. Ridding myself of these thoughts, I kneeled on the floor beside the 'Fiend' and muttered to her, "I'm helping you, so don't do anything rash."

Much to my surprise, a slightly different voice came out of her mouth when she answered. "Don't worry—Fiend's only half in control."

No one's POV

Leo's eyebrow rose again, but he said nothing. Instead, he just bent down over her leg and put his mouth to the gaping wound in her thigh. His fangs sank into her, causing her muscles to tighten as Fiend warred for control. She fought it back and forced herself to relax. The vampire's saliva caused the wound to stop the bleeding, and her facial muscles lost their pained cast. Before long, he moved on to a huge slice in her left arm.

Suddenly, Leo was plunged into a scene—obviously a memory like what he had done with Jane. The girl sat on a cave floor, dressed in tanned animal skins and furs—a huge wolf sitting beside her. On her other side, a man sat—holding her hand.

"Find the inner snake, the inner _i-__na__-__dv__._ _De-lv-ne-gv__'__wah-ya.__" _Leo understood this to mean 'snake,' and then 'Silver Wolf.' Somehow, he also knew they were speaking Cherokee, though he had never heard it before.

The girl—younger than she was now—relaxed her muscles and dove deep within herself. Suddenly, the world flashed into a swirling vortex of gray-colored pain. The little girl didn't even flinch. When the pain disappeared, there was a small timber-wolf pup sitting on the floor next to a huge panther where the man had been.

Leo heard the panther think to the wolf 'good job, little _De-lv-ne-gv__'__wah-y__a,_' before the world went gray.

When he finally finished, he had healed at least thirteen gaping wounds all over her arms, neck, and legs, and had managed to filch enough of her blood to satisfy his blood-craving. The girl was asleep now, at peace and no longer in pain. When Leo stood, he turned to Jane and asked her, "Why do I see things when I drink from you, Jane?"

Panic entered her eyes. "Wait, you saw something from Loni!" At his slow nod, she queried, "What did you see?"

Leo told her, and at every word he spoke, she grew more and more frightened. When he ended the tale, Jane relaxed a bit. "Okay, you didn't see anything you really shouldn't have."

"What do you mean, Jane? Is this something pertaining to what you are? She tastes somewhat like you, you know. Like forest and power." Narrowing her eyes at him, she pointed to the door. A small laugh escaped Leo's lips, and before he vanished out of the door, he turned around and said, "I will leave for now, little Jane, but be assured that I will have the truth."


End file.
